The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Alleged share milker who abused cows removed from duty

Imran Ali
By Imran Ali
Multimedia Journalist·Northern Advocate·
29 Jun, 2018 07:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The dairy shed in Mangapai, Northland, where dairy cows were allegedly hit with farm tools and weapons. Photo/Michael Cunningham

The dairy shed in Mangapai, Northland, where dairy cows were allegedly hit with farm tools and weapons. Photo/Michael Cunningham

The Ministry of Primary Industries has no plans to strengthen legislation that allows surveillance cameras to be installed on farms in a bid to expose animal abuse.

Animal advocates SAFE and Farmwatch are demanding the government ministry be stripped of its animal welfare responsibilities and an independent animal welfare ministry be set up instead.

They are also calling on the government to strengthen the Search and Surveillance Act so that cameras can be placed in all dairy sheds and slaughterhouses.

The call followed the release of video footage that shows a sharemilker in Mangapai, 19km south of Whangārei, violently and repeatedly hitting cows. The animals are seen being hit on the head and legs with farm tools and weapons, including a steel pipe.

MPI is re-investigating the matter after an earlier inquiry was dropped because of a lack of evidence.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

MPI investigators and a veterinarian were back at the Mangapai farm yesterday
to examine the animals, none of which had been removed.

"MPI will continue to monitor the farm as long as we deem necessary. Investigators have spoken to the worker concerned. He does not have a manager. He is a sharemilker. We have spoken with the farm owner," MPI manager of compliance investigations Gary Orr said.

The unidentified farm owners issued a statement through Dairy NZ, saying as life long and committed dairy farmers they were shocked and deeply saddened by the video footage.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As of yesterday, the contract sharemilker had been removed from all duties requiring unsupervised contact with stock.

MPI can only install cameras under the Search and Surveillance Act if offences under the Animal Welfare Act carry a penalty of more than seven years imprisonment rather than the current five years.

Orr said there were no plans to change both Acts as that would require a significant amount of consideration and consultation.

"It is wrong to suggest that effective animal welfare surveillance can only be achieved through hidden cameras. MPI receives information about animal welfare through a number of channels. Members of the public are a key source of information about animal welfare breaches. In this, MPI is no different to any enforcement agency around the world.''

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Minister wants more animal welfare inspectors

28 Jun 02:00 AM
New Zealand

Call for CCTV cameras in dairy sheds

29 Jun 12:50 AM
New Zealand

Cow abuse case: Farm owners speak out

29 Jun 04:00 AM
New Zealand

Offal pit full of dead cows near waterway

01 Jul 10:36 PM

When MPI received animal welfare complaints, he said they were followed up, assessed and resulted in action being taken. Virtually all complaints received by MPI are followed up with an inspection of the farm and the animals concerned.

"MPI supplement this with proactive visits to farms through a programme called On Farm Audit Programme. The programme covers 1200 farms annually and including a minimum of 300 dairy farms."

Federated Farmers Northland dairy chair Ashley Cullen said the treatment of cows as seen in the video footage was "disgusting" and that there was no excuse for ill treating animals.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
The Country

Seabed mining project sparks alarm over impact on South Taranaki fisheries

07 Jul 03:57 AM
The Country

'Dearly loved' 21yo killed in Stewart Island hunting incident

07 Jul 01:41 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM

The winners will be celebrated at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre on July 31.

Seabed mining project sparks alarm over impact on South Taranaki fisheries

Seabed mining project sparks alarm over impact on South Taranaki fisheries

07 Jul 03:57 AM
'Dearly loved' 21yo killed in Stewart Island hunting incident

'Dearly loved' 21yo killed in Stewart Island hunting incident

07 Jul 01:41 AM
The Country: 2025 Young Farmer of the Year, Hugh Jackson

The Country: 2025 Young Farmer of the Year, Hugh Jackson

07 Jul 01:39 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP